The Last Ship The Scott Effect (S3E1)

The Last Ship, Season 3, Episode 1, “The Scott Effect” begins a few months after the events of the last season. Dr. Rachel Scott, who was seen shot down in the last episode of Season 2, is dead. Nevertheless, things seem to be going well in the American homeland. With the cure for the worldwide plague distributed, the rebuilding of the United States has begun. Some local leaders are grumbling about the rationing regime, but things seem to be going smoothly.

Review and recap The Last Ship The Scott Effect Season 3, Episode 1

Asia is still in poor shape. The plague may have mutated, causing the cure to be ineffective. President Peng of China may be playing games with the distribution of the medicine as a way to destroy his enemies. While the Nathan James, under the command of Captain Mike Slattery, is headed for Vietnam to distribute the cure, Tom Chandler, now Chief of Naval Operations, heads for Hong Kong for a conference to ascertain what Peng’s true intentions are.

Things go south in fairly short order, in both China and Vietnam.

Slattery leads a delegation of the crew to a nightclub in Haiphong for a celebration of the cure. However, a team of mercenaries attack the club, taser Slattery and most of the other American celebrants, and carry them off to a ship anchored offshore. The Nathan James, under the command of Lt. Cameron Burk, withdraws but, instead of taking a position offshore to await reinforcements, goes in search of their captured crewmates. In the meantime, Lt. Danny Green and Lt. Carlton Burk escape the nightclub and are on the run.

In Hong Kong, Chandler puts the matter to Peng bluntly. Is he using his control of the cure to manipulate events in Asia? Peng leaves, pretending to have other business to attend to. In a later conversion, Peng denies to Chandler that this is the case, blaming the situation on unsettled conditions in Asia.

However, Chandler doesn’t believe the Chinese president. The news from Vietnam causes the American president to order him home. However, Chandler at the last minute decides to try to get to the Nathan James instead. The plane that he was to leave on explodes in midflight. Peng has sought to murder Chandler, removing all doubt of what he is up to.